For Jasper Patterson aka Groundislava, creativity combined with the video game, sci-fi sounds and general aesthetics of the 1980's have been instilled since day one. A young 20 year-old hailing from Venice, California, Jasper's father both animated and directed the classic "Take On Me" video by A-Ha and while Groundislava isn't exactly the next logical step from the Norwegian new wave group, Jasper takes that same creative freedom and emotion and injects it into a sound grounded in beats, video games, technology and self-proclaimed "nerdy shit." As part of the Wedidit Collective (helmed by his old schoolmate Henry Laufer, better known as Shlohmo), Groundislava is the next representative stepping into the light and exposing a group of youngsters each with their own nonchalantly expert takes on forms of beat and electronic music. While deeply infatuated with the styles of house music and minimal techno (check "The Dig" or "Stealth River Mission"), on his debut self-titled LP, Groundislava takes old templates of 8 bit and chip-tune styles and turns them into worlds full of oozing, swirling melodies backed by driving drum beats, heavy bass drops and soaring vocal melodies in spots from vocalist Weary. Alongside the crop of up and coming worldwide electronic producers such as Shlohmo, Young Montana? and another former classmate Baths, Patterson is primed and ready to unleash his unique brand of woozy 8-bit composition. Whereas much music that utilizes the 8 bit sound tends to feel fully mechanized and soulless, GIL injects heartfelt harmonies and melodies that demand attention - "Final Impasse" and "One For Her" will surely make you stop in your tracks and listen up. Elsewhere, Wedidit cohorts Jon Wayne and Shlohmo stop by for the track "Shlava," with Wayne delivering super on point and off the cuff raps on top of Jasper's laid-back video game beat vibes. Another early favorite is the sinister and downtempo "Animal," featuring Weary's dark and twisted croons.

Anenon’s Tongue is a beautiful album. That’s an adjective whose meaning has practically been obliterated by Hallmark prose and hyperbolic idiocy. But occasionally, a work of art digs deep enough to excavate the underlying meaning that existed in antiquity and figures to persist until we’re soil and dust. This is beauty materialized through the abstract articulation of love, loss, fear, addiction, confidence, longing, hope, and sadness. At its best, the infinite array of human emotions swirled and distilled into sound. Sound becomes melody, harmony, and rhythm. The medium happens to be music, but it could really be anything. Pure expression. Tools mean nothing more and nothing less than palette and color.

Quietly building an enthusiastic following with a steady stream of EPs andsingles, M.O.O.N.'s debut full-length 'Clinically Blase' creatively navigatesa wide range of emotive synthesizer music deviating from dancegearedtropes in favor of freer arrangements and lush instrumentation.While the rhythms are rooted in variants of house, boogie, and synth-pop'Clinically Blase' never tips it's hand stylistically in any particular directionresulting in a playful balance of retro sounds and futuristicideas highlighting a deft melodic sensibility.Separated by interludes, 'Clinically Blase' is split into three sections thatexplore variations on similar themes and shared sounds recording livepercussion, guitar, piano, and bass in addition to software instruments andclassic analog synth gear.The album's beatless opener "Pilot" signals departure with a vocal looprendered aquatic over bright, ringing piano chords - sounds which makeappearances again on the album's arpeggiating centerpiece "Alicia" and onthe closer "Finale". The smooth "Time" unwinds with unexpected jazzychords and expressive treated trumpet lifting it skyward. There are plentyof moments made for movement with the ecstatic drumwork andstratospheric pads of "Jon F", the bouncing 303 of "Leaning In", or thefunky slo-mo arpeggiated disco roll of "Medium Cool". The sequencingties together 'Clinically Blase' into a compelling journey, ebbing andflowing in energy, timbre, and tempo much like a thoughtful, continuousDJ mix.

Whomadewho drummer/producer and electronic-pop stalwart Tomas Barfod arrives on Friendsof Friends this November with his third album as a solo artist and his second for the Los Angeleslabel. Assisted by a diverse range of guest vocalists, the Paloma album is an expansive record thattakes the dancefloor-friendly bedroom pop of the Salton Sea (Friends of Friends 2012) and LoveMe (Secretly Canadian 2014) albums to dazzling new heights. Embracing a divergent array ofgenres and tempos, Paloma’s 11 tracks create a world of love and heartbreak, hued by Barfod’sbroad synth strokes and effortless drum programming. Fans of Barfod’s previous releases on FoFand Kompakt will find plenty to latch onto here, including several vocal features from labelfavorite Nina K, but Paloma invokes a larger sound than the Danish producer has put forth in thepast, a sound replete with higher highs, more dramatic hooks and an even crisper, more pristineproduction aesthetic.

Benjamin Wynn a.k.a. Deru is an Emmy Awardwinning composer, sound designer and producer. As Deru, Wynn has released three albums on Mush Records, Merck Records, and Neo Ouija respectively, as well as remixes and tracks for compilations on labels like Hometapes, Ghostly International, Mille Plateaux, and a ballet score for Wayne McGregor and the Paris Opera Ballet. In 2014, Deru ushered in the next phase of his journey, as he partnered with Friends of Friends for ‘1979’, his most extraordinary project to date.‘1979’ is a concept album and sculptural object, featuring nine songs by Deru accompanied by nine short films by video artist Anthony Ciannamea, that are housed in a customized handheld video projector. The subject matter is nostalgic and emotive, focusingon common origins and shared human experiences. The limited run of projectors sold out immediately, but the videos will be made publicly available through an interactive website featuring a gallery of user-submitted “memories”. Vinyl copies of thealbum sold out very quickly as well, which is why ‘1979’ is finally getting the repress treatment after two years out of print. LPs include original inserts and download cards and will be available for purchase immediately.

"After releasing a string of driving, dancefloor-oriented singles on European labels Rush Hour and Hotflush, Brooklyn’s own Praveen Sharma aka Braille keys up his debut LP, Mute Swan, on Friends of Friends. With an ear for sentimental melodies and an unprecedented step into the vocal arena, Braille’s first full-length is rife with narrative appeal and rich songwriting, collapsing dozens of genre signifiers into a cauldron of pathos. Sharma’s own vocal experiments are aided by Jessie Boykins III on “I Assume” and Angelica Bess on “Ports” and “Better Than Nothing”, as well as additional production from Throwing Snow and Seafloor, a symphony of voices feeding into the cohesive vision he has established, one as much influenced by internal struggle as it is by his current environ in Brooklyn. The Seafloor-assisted “The Cat’s Gone Nuts” epitomizes the aforementioned spirit, drawing on classic soul as well as hip hop, R&B and UK garage. Cerebrally affecting, Braille’s compositions take the listener on a walk through the artist’s past and present, a collage of emotions ranging from melancholic joy to the deepest of sorrows. All in all, it’s a pleasure to bring Braille into the Friends of Friends family, a fit that looks just as good on paper as it is in reality!"